Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether his Department is taking steps to work with people who are waiting for their case to come to court to help ensure they do not commit crimes.

We have interpreted this question as referring to court bail. Whether to remand an individual into custody or to grant court bail is solely a matter for the independent judiciary.

A grant of bail can either be unconditional or conditional. Any conditions set are imposed by the independent judiciary in order to mitigate risks the individual might pose, including the risk of reoffending while on bail.

One such condition could be a residence requirement. Where the individual does not have a suitable address, HMPPS provides temporary accommodation in the form of Approved Premises for high-risk individuals or Community Accommodation Services-2 for medium to low-risk individuals. Other conditions such as a curfew or an exclusion zone may be electronically monitored where this will enable a defendant’s risk to be managed in the community rather than in custody, where appropriate.